I’m sorry for being so lazy lately and not putting up any
posts over the last few days. If Hawaii time is slow, and Fiji time is one
grade slower, then I’m on Indo time which is somewhere in the middle. Over the
last few days I’ve settled into a really good routine of waking up, surfing for
a few hours, eating, having a nap, and then surfing again. I’ve probably spent
about 25 hours or more in the water since I got here.
I absolutely love Bali and it is so much different than I
expected. I’d heard horror stories from people who stayed in Kutu and were
constantly hustled by touts, lady boys and other interesting characters the
entire time they were there. Thankfully I’m not staying in Kutu but rather on
the Bukit Peninsula where things are quite a bit more normal and very relaxing.
In a calming sort of way Bali has a way of over whelming
your senses. Visually the Bukit area is stunning. Breathtaking cliffs drop off
into the turquoise water where perfect lines of waves peel in. Small centres of
commerce have sprung up at all the surf spots and carved into the cliffs are
temples, warungs and tiny shops connect by little walkways. In the walkways the
smell of incense fills the air and you are constantly tripping over the flower
Hindu offerings that line the steps and ledges. The local people here are
really nice and its not uncommon to meet a random stranger one day and for them
to call you by name the next day when they see you.
The sounds are also very stimulating. As you walk away from
the road the buzz of scooters fades and you are greeted by the pulse of the
ocean, remixes of the latest pop songs, traditional Bali music and the chatter
of the Balinese people as they talk among themselves and ask tourists
passing by to look at what they have to sell.
From a surfing standpoint the Bukit Peninsula is Bali’s
version of Hawaii’s fabled North Shore. Here, like the North Shore, there’s a
really county feeling, the waves are amazing and everything revolves around the
surf. On the road you see scooters with surfboard racks and all the little
shops sell boards, wax and surf related t-shirts. If Hawaii is surfings mecca,
then Bali is its southern hemisphere cousin with traveling Aussie, American and
Brazilian bros and pros alike passing through, our calling it home for the
season. Even the chances of getting dropping in on by an over stoking Brazilian
is also pretty high here!
(Sorry no picture... bad internet and broken camera)
